Sea to Sky: 2,365 meters to legend
How Kemer became the stage for hard enduro – and why Graham Jarvis belongs to this race as much as Tahtalı belongs to the horizon.
Cover image: Sea to Sky 2025, rocky course by the sea. Image source: T.C. Kemer Belediyesi. The photo gallery shows historic racing moments from 2023 and 2025; it illustrates the retrospective and does not document every race described in the text.
2027: The next chapter starts with planning the trip
The story between the Mediterranean and Tahtalı continues: Sea to Sky’s website announces the next edition for 7–9 October 2027. Registration is scheduled to open on 1 November 2026. That gives this look back at Jarvis and the defining races a practical next chapter: planning a return to Kemer.
The supplied organiser announcement lists three entry tiers: €750 for the first 100 riders, €850 for riders 101–200 and €950 from rider 201. These amounts relate to race registration, not accommodation. Check availability, inclusions and terms directly with the organiser; this page does not sell or reserve race entries.
A date in the diary is not yet a complete itinerary. Before flights and accommodation are booked, scrutineering, the riders’ briefing, arrival with a motorcycle and departure after the final must fit together. Four nights from 6–10 October or a week from 4–11 October are possible starting points for an enquiry, not guaranteed race packages. Teams also need to agree room arrangements; companions may want a balance between the racing and time for their own holiday.
Erendiz is your independent hotel base. We check rooms and individual requests subject to availability. This article does not promise Graham Jarvis’s participation, a particular route or world-championship status for 2027. The historical text and photographs from earlier editions remain a retrospective, not confirmation of next year’s competitors or images of the 2027 race.
Dates and race registration with the organiser · Enquire about your Sea to Sky 2027 stay
Checked: 29 October 2026. Dates from the organiser; fees from the supplied announcement. Recheck current details before making a binding booking.
Sea to Sky 2026: What happened on race weekend
Updated on 13 October 2026. Sea to Sky 2026 in Kemer was raced from 8 to 10 October. The event has finished. Its latest chapter brings three different stage winners and Graham Jarvis on an electric motorcycle.
Three days, three winners
- 8 October — Beach Race: Mitch Brightmore won the opener. According to the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship race report, he won all three of his heats and the superfinal.
- 9 October — Forest Race: The World Championship news item of 9 October names Teodor Kabakchiev as the winner, 50 seconds ahead of James Moore.
- 10 October — Mountain Race: The MCNews race report of 13 October reports Manuel Lettenbichler’s third consecutive Sea to Sky victory.
Jarvis: A new chapter with Jarv-E
For readers of our Jarvis story, there is another development: the same MCNews report says Graham Jarvis finished the event on his electric Jarv-E. It adds a technical innovation to his long connection with Kemer, while the challenge remains the same: from the sea through demanding terrain to the mountain.
Classification status: MCNews marks the amended results and championship standings as provisional. We therefore do not reproduce a complete final classification here. The published decisions and results of the organiser and FIM are the authority for confirmed placings.
The historical account below covers the story through 2025. Its photographs date from 2023 and 2025; they do not show the 2026 event.
Below lies the Mediterranean. Above awaits a mountain whose final slopes look as though someone had tipped a load of boulders across the landscape. Between them, a motorcycle, two tyres and an increasingly tired human being must find their way. Sea to Sky turns this simple idea into one of hard enduro’s most impressive challenges: from the coast near Kemer up to the 2,365-metre Tahtalı, also known as Mount Olympos. The classic route links beach, forest and rocky high mountains. Race report and route profile, Australian Motorcycle News
It is a race that changes character with every metre of elevation. At the beach, the start matters. Higher up, line choice decides. And at some point, it becomes about riding the next difficult section with as much focus as the first.
That is precisely where Graham Jarvis’ territory begins.
An idea that reaches all the way to the summit
The story of Sea to Sky goes back to 2010. A contemporary report from spring 2011 already mentions the race organised by the Kemer club following the previous year’s Turkish Enduro World Championship round. In 2011 came the edition then described as the premiere under the name Red Bull Sea to Sky. This distinction explains why both years appear in retrospectives. Contemporary report at Enduro News, Race report from October 2011
The sporting promise was exceptional from the outset: a holiday coast becomes the starting point of a race whose finish lies far above the tree line. The Beach Race, Forest Race and decisive Mountain Race give the event its dramatic structure. The format, routes and scoring evolved over the years; at times, an additional Sky Race day was added.
In 2011, Jarvis won ahead of Jonny Walker and Chris Birch. The race report from CROSS Magazin at the time names twelve riders who reached the summit finish. A number that describes the character of this early Sea to Sky better than any superlative: here, simply reaching the finish could already be an extraordinary achievement. 2011 result and report
Jarvis and the art of keeping going
Jarvis’ particular strength is best understood through his own description of racing. In an interview with Husqvarna about the Erzbergrodeo, he emphasises line choice, dealing with mistakes and the ability to remain calm under pressure. He also talks about how much energy is lost when a rider works too much against his motorcycle. Interview with Graham Jarvis
That is a good explanation of why his riding style is so fascinating. Hard enduro constantly demands small decisions: Where does the ground provide grip? Which line leaves enough room for the next change of direction? How much momentum can be carried without losing control?
With Jarvis, this work takes on an almost composed form. As a spectator, you see a rider whose greatest strength lies precisely in the slow sections. A cleanly cleared obstacle saves a second attempt. A smart line saves energy. Over a long day of racing, such small advantages can turn a result around.
Ten seconds between triumph and defeat
After his successes in 2011 and 2012, Jarvis experienced in 2013 just how close things can get even in this extreme terrain. Jonny Walker won the Mountain Race in 2:17:14 hours. Jarvis followed in 2:17:24. Ten seconds after more than two hours of racing. Husaberg team report at KLIM
The following year, Jarvis struck back. In 2014, he had to work his way forward after a weaker start and eventually caught Walker. The report describes a duel in which both made mistakes and swapped positions. In the end, Jarvis won in 2:43:20 hours, with Walker following 1:29 minutes behind. 2014 race report, MCNews
These encounters give the race's history its tension. Jarvis was the benchmark against which his rivals could measure themselves. At the same time, he had to earn every further success anew. His keen instinct for difficult terrain did not make him invulnerable either.
2017: The mountain comes last
His instinct for the decisive phase of the race was particularly evident in 2017. Billy Bolt won on the beach, Wade Young in the forest. Jarvis finished fifth and fourth respectively. In the final Mountain Race, he took the lead late on and won ahead of Mario Román and Young. Red Bull recorded his fifth Sea to Sky victory at the time. 2017 final report
This contains one of the great stories of the sport: the standings at the beginning of a weekend reveal little about who will be on top at the end. A fast beach lap and a difficult rocky ascent require different skills. Sea to Sky brings them together in one competition.
2020: The sixth victory – with a decisive twist
In 2020, Jarvis, aged 45, entered another chapter of this story. Before the Mountain Race, he was around four minutes behind Billy Bolt in the overall standings. Bolt had won the first three races; Jarvis had, among other things, endured a crash that damaged his motorcycle. Nevertheless, he remained within reach before the final. Husqvarna review from 27 September 2020
Then came the twist. According to Enduro21's contemporary report, Bolt and Mario Román took a wrong turn because of old course markings. Jarvis seized the opportunity, won the Mountain Race and claimed his sixth overall victory on the combined times across the four days. He later acknowledged that luck had also played a part. Enduro21: 2020 result and race report
This particular detail belongs in an honest retrospective. The victory cannot be explained solely by a romantic story about experience. It came from endurance, a strong final ride and a situation that changed the race. Jarvis was still there when it happened.
The World Championship comes to Kemer
In 2024, Sea to Sky reached another milestone: for the first time, the race became part of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship. The FIM announced Kemer as the sixth and penultimate round of the season. The competition, long known internationally, thus also became a stage in the battle for the world title. FIM: 2024 calendar announcement
Manuel Lettenbichler won this edition. Graham Jarvis stood directly behind him in second place, ahead of Mario Román. The result may be the finest footnote to his long connection with Kemer: 13 years after his 2011 victory, he was still competing for the very top positions here. Sea to Sky 2024 result, Husqvarna
Lettenbichler won again in 2025; Jarvis finished fifth. The generations have changed, the competition has moved on, yet his name still appears near the top of the results list. 2025 race report and result, KTM
What remains from this race
Sea to Sky has a rare setting: the sea as its starting point, the mountain as its visible goal. Even looking up from the coast, you can understand what lies ahead for the riders. The distance gains height, the effort gains direction.
Jarvis has given this course a face over many years. His story in Kemer is one of victories, narrow defeats and the ability to remain in the race even after setbacks. It shows how long a rider can stay competitive when experience and skill come together.
And it provides a good reason to look closely at Sea to Sky: sometimes a great race is decided in a small spot between two rocks.
Experience Kemer for yourself
Anyone wishing to follow Sea to Sky as a spectator or plan an enduro stay in the region can find information about accommodation at Erendiz Garden Hotel on our page on Enduro and Sea to Sky in Kemer. Race registration, current spectator areas and the respective event programme are determined by the organiser.
Historical account: researched on 5 October 2026, with results through 2025. The 2026 update is dated 13 October 2026; its sources and classification caveat appear at the start of the article.